Collective spaces : a study in the conversion of storage to living spaces in City of Industry, California

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Collective Spaces

-A study in the conversion of storage to living spaces in City of Industry, California

by Tony H. Su

B.A., History of Art and Architecture Brown University, 2000

Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2005

The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and of this thesis document in whole or in part.

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

JUN28 2005

LIBRARIES

electronic copies May 19, 2005 Ton&H. Su Michael Dennis EillHubbard, Jr. Department of Architecture Professor of Architecture Thesis Advisor

Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture

Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Students

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Thesis Committee

Advisor: Michael Dennis, Professor of Architecture

Readers: Carol Burns, Visiting Associate Professor of Architecture

Christopher P. Csikszentmihelyi, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Arindam Dutta, Associate Professor of History of Architecture

Greg Morrow, Lecturer in Department of Urban Studies and Plannning

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements,

Michael Dennis, for always telling things as it is, wit, humor, and positive support. Arindam Dutta, for always thought-provoking criticism.

Greg Morrow, for providing practical criticisms.

Michelle Lin, for much much editing support and constant encouragement.

Konstantinos Chadios, for much much editing support and keeping things entertaining. Finally, my parents and my family for their never-ending support.

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Collective Spaces - A study in the conversion of storage to living spaces in City of Industry, California

by Tony H. Su

Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 19, 2005 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ABSTRACT

A research and design study was instigated to rethink the phenomenon of storage in relation to contemporary living spheres. Although few historical traces of personal storage remain, the study of the evolution of com-mercial storage revealed a progression from spaces for hoarding goods to spaces for housing activities of production.

Zooming in on site, City of Industry, in Los Angeles, California, an island of warehouse typologies was found in the midst of diverse residential neighborhoods facing increasing housing pressures.

Further-more, mappings of "big box" warehouse spaces within Industry revealed inefficiencies in storage practices and the potential for remaking the City into a more porous oasis of living/working. It would not only be made more

porous simply in terms of providing mulit-use living spaces, but in terms of providing living accomodations for a range of constituents, ranging from laborers, students, to recent immigrants who have not yet assimilated to typical suburban single-detached housing. As a test case, one warehouse building exemplifying typical

construction/use of Industry was examined in more detail and strategies of conversion from storage to living were illustrated.

Thesis Advisor: Michael Dennis Title: Professor of Architecture

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7WT

PWO-nONS

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E v o lu tio n o f S to ra

g e

...

6

-ityr f w i y Contemporary storage in an urban context...10

-It of ind Iustry- Behind concrete walls and inside big boxes...14

c. .vtn hru conversion of a typical commercial warehouse to mixed living units...22

*argo containers and other precedents of conversions...42

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circa 1400 A.D.

More than four thousand years ago, the idea of storing away surpluses of water and other agricultural products was critical to the success of the the Egyptian civilization.1 _In

times of flooding in the Nile Delta region, water could be channeled to reservoirs that could be drawn upon in times of drought. Storage facilitated the regular supply of water and other natural resources.

With the rise of seafaring and trade, especially in Mediterranean ports like Venice in 1400 AD, storage grew to encompass more than an act of accumulation. Storing not only resources essential for survival, the warehouses at ports stored goods and luxuries that could be exchanged with others for profit. Storage be-came linked with transportation and moving of goods across distant regions.2

circa zouu ts..

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By the time of Industrialization in the West,

warehous-es became centers of production. Machinwarehous-es were housed in them and people spent much of their working lives involved in manufacturing goods out of these types of spaces. One could argue that at this point in history, there grew a disjunction be-tween spaces and users. Large span halls for housing ma-chines were not necessarily the most friendly environments

for people. _ _ _

The drive to amass, produce, and exchange goods thru industrial efficiency produced many vari-ants of storage containers, both static and mobile. Railroad companies often used warehouses at stra-tegic locations to consolidate shipments of goods. To service large clients, rail cars would also be deployed as storage to compete against other modes of trans-portation.

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After World War II, mechanization continued to trans-form the shape of warehouse spaces. Specifically, the de-velopment of the forklift and a standard pallet for packaging/ shipping goods facilitated relocation of storage to non-urban areas.3 _{Land to develop warehouses was usually cheaper} away from urban transportation hubs and the forklift lessened dependence on human labor.

Distribution center diagram4

The development of the highway system and the automobile in the U.S. contributed to the sprawl and suburbanization of commercial warehouses not unlike their effects on residential developments away from urban centers. Having been developed on un-constrained sites, warehouses usually have been de-signed in a fortress-like manner with a moat of parking

lots and a small fraction of floor area devoted to offices. They have been constructed with utmost attention to

the flow of goods, neglecting their impact on the scale of pedestrian movement.

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Ironically, the sprawl of residential and commercial programs converge in an urban condition in City of Industry, a city of warehouses thirty minutes east of Downtown Los Angeles. It is mostly a light industrial zone occupied by warehouses which store and/or produce goods. With an area of 14 square miles, its population numbers less than 1000.5 Cambridge, Massachusetts, occupies 6.5 square miles and has a population of over 100,000. Walnut, a city directly north of City of Industry, occupies 9 square miles and has a population of about 30,000. These density comparisons suggest that a rise in housing demand in the region could certainly be accomodated by Industry.

In terms of location, it is also well suited to bring together adjacent communities. It straddles a major freeway, the 60 East/West Pomona Freeway and is at the intersection of diverse suburban communities. La Puente, to the northwest, is predominantly middle/lower class and claimed by Hispanics. Walnut and Rowland Heights, to the North and South, is

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heavily populated by recent immigrants from China, Taiwan, and Korea. The range in social classes amongst the latter group of immigrants are also di-verse, ranging from unskilled laborers to educated. Interspersed and cutting across these groups/classes are students attracted to local colleges, no less than three of which are located within 20 miles of the area. They include California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Mt. San Antonio Community College, and Whittier College.

Macro Site

Analysis-As shown in the drawing, the grain of City of Industry is

more coarse than surround-ing communitites. Relatively

large city blocks and parcels characterize the area. Pres-ently, big box retailers line the southern edge of Industry,

providing the only public inter-action with surrounding neigh-borhoods. Two rail networks traverse thru Industry as well.

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H

C) r In an urban context 0

Ill. Delirious City of Industry- Behind concrete walls and inside big boxes...14

YC 1V. O A2o ixed livi n .

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So what to do? One might say the only way to remake City of Industry into a more habitable and accessible place is by razing some big box warehouses and inserting smaller buildings of mixed use. It would be nothing short of the tabula rasa strategies we have been so fond of in previous eras. A finer look at what goes beyond existing warehouse buildings in Industry reveals more interesting possibilities. In one warehouse, seen in the image to the left, one finds a house of wor-ship. In other operations, one finds regulation-sized basketball courts and bar lounges constructed to entertain employees and clients. If these warehouses, as a building type, can already accomodate such a range of uses, why would one want to start over, other than to achieve aesthetic appearance befitting typical residential neighborhoods?

Towards "ugly" preservation...

Analyzing more warehouse facilities, one gleans the importance of repetitive modules in their construction and func-tions. In the following mappings, a public storage facility, Costco, printing company, and a shoe company are examined.

All are operations which take place within parcel boundaries and also behind the concrete walls of Industry warehouses.

In the Costco and public storage compositions, one can discern more disciplined use of modules, probably due in part to their being international operations which have nearly perfected efficient use of space for storage. In the Costco case, for example, the standard pallet size that is linked with the forklift determines the aisle length and width, not pedestrian friendli-ness, despite the operation being visited by shoppers with carts.

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DNA's of warehouse operations

store

(public storage facility)

PMMMH, RHMH H11MM - HHH

wHHH=

< csp o yse

NH.

produc-e 8< (printing company)

design & clsploy sel

(shoe company) tcocst U - I_

-Li

U store & store I

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-store a olsptciy/seU olesigr & olisploay/seUL store st ~ ni"Asdv ~s operations I 11111111111 111111111111111111111111111 I -I I

J U

UUi~.

I l l l I l l l l l l l l lI l lIl l l l l l lll Il l l l l l llI

11111 liii 11111 1111111! liii 111111111111111 liii liii 111111111111 111111 111111111 III 111111 111111 III 111111111111111111111 1111111

= . I..,.,.iHEIEFE

E1

1

11111111 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 IH I I I I I | | | | | | | |ilIl lI II I| I II|I| I II| | | | | | | |I I I I I I I I I I I I I IT F M 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

111111

111 = Mir

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Public storage spaces as varia-tions on a single module

storee

SII I IIHIII IIHIIIIIIIIIHHIIIIIH

1/128' = 1'

D

D1

genera tive module 5'x5'

1/32' = 1' TII==1

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1/128' = 1'

|IZI

store & d splay/sel

II II 1111111 11111 1111111 11111

--- -- --- - _--- anaOngof 10 a GOIUGa a

" Ii

generative module 48"x40" ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___19 1/32' = 1'

Costco spaces as variations on a single module, the pallet

.... ...

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02:00- 04:00- 06:00-08:00 10:00- 12:00-LLF 14:00-16:00Y 18:00-

20:00-In smaller scale operations, such as the shoe

com-24:0W

pany above, there is less efficiency in terms of storage. Al-though the pallet module is evident, it does not determine the entire layout inside the warehouse. There are offices

to accomodate, which is less likely to be the case in bigger 02:00,

04:00

operations which have specialized corporate headquarters

08:00

for offices and distribution centers solely for storage, for 10:00

12:0W

instance. 14:0

16:00

But it is precisely these types of warehouses which 18:00

20:0W

begin to offer an oppurtunity to speculate about a more dy- 22:0

24:00

namic City of Industry. Inefficiency in the context of com-mercial logistics and a trend towards just-in-time delivery business models give way to efficiency when one specu-lates about conversion to alternative use. Interviews with

Time-Use studies of operation

Mon i iUS v veas I i nurs I rn I bat i bun | Mon i iues i Weas I

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the operation's executives revealed that the company was actually outgrowing this space in terms of both storage and office space. In terms of fiscal efficiency, it would also make more sense in the long-term to keep most of the storage in cheaper real estate mar-kets overseas.6

Looking beyond the physical form of the op-eration, the schedule of activities which occur in the course of the company's business operations were also taken into account. The important discovery that was made was that there were also gaps in the usage of the site that could accomodate alternative non-com-mercial use. And although the official work schedule is 9 am to 5 pm, much work occurs beyond the span in a domestic setting. For instance, since many contacts are overseas in a different time zone, teleconferencing often takes place at night after regular work hours.

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IV. Activation thru conversion of a typical commercial warehouse to mixed living

units...22

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Having established an evolution of storage building typologies which has increasingly neglected human scale despite accomodating more human activities, one can argue that the commercially "inefficient" remnants in City of Industry are ripe for experimentation. Through experimentation with a conversion of a warehouse exhibiting typical characteristics of con-struction and space, one can begin to re-envision the context of Industry.

site selection/application 0 I f B tng1i ' s i i ag 5 000 sf Offn'os 50 Pa rkingspc

Street perspective facing north at night

st pl

-- - site plan

+JLj 1 C:.3r-_r

ri't~p~,i r

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As a first pass, the scale of the warehouse is related to typical housing parcels in suburbs and in cities. At one ex-treme, the suburban plot, one family occupies one parcel and separates itself thru landscaping. At the other exex-treme, in a Manhattan city block, one residence is stacked atop another and contiguous with adjacent buildings. The warehouse site offers much outdoor space due to building coverage rules, but at the same time can achieve substantially more density than adjacent suburban developements even if it partially emulates the Manhattan model.

54. I

2,400sf

- 110' . Warehouse Site 148-

21,500 sf

Manhattan block 250-3.000 sf 1000'

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Micro Site Analysis-As shown in the drawing,

the building only has four internal columns support-ing a primary line of beams. This primary line of beams

divides the building into two approximately 50-foot halves. Perpendicular to these are secondary joists (approxi-mately 50-foot long each) spaced every eight feet. The walls are made up of tilt-up concrete panels which are approximately 24' wide x 31.5' high each.

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8'x40' Module study 24'x40' Module study

I

24'x20' Module study

-S zz 1

Study models/sketches of different scales

liv

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Conversion

studies-Taking the 8-foot joist spacing as the starting module,

varia-tions were studied that could accomodate living units.

Negative spaces which had largely been neglected on the site were made into positive

spaces of circulation, court-yards, and stacked programs.

In the model to the right, the

24'x20' modules were ar-ranged to provide circulation and sun exposure to each

unit. The circulation was

modeled in solid.

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Programmatic & Site

studies-ro give interior units exposure to light, ad-ditional skylights were punched in the roof, again falling within the 8-foot roof joist spacings. Existing skylights are 4'x8' and perpendicular with respect to the central aisle of new skylights.

The two schemes to the left are identical in terms of conversions within exisiting walls. In the above left scheme, units are maximized. In the lower left scheme, the units preserve more of the existing open spaces and reshape them into a series of courtyards. Being in Los Angeles, where density like that of Manhattan is undesirable, the scheme still achieves more density in relation to neighboring suburban developments.

Phasing studies

(right)-A phased approach of intervention ac-(nowledges the different lifespans within

:he structure and functions of the

build-ng. It allows the building to remain op-Drational as it is being transformed. As

:he company's inventory decreases due :o consolidation of goods elsewhere, the )ffice staff can still be functional and even :ake advantage of new communal ameni-:ies. For the developer, there is less risk nvolved in phasing because he/she can gauge the market and release units as

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F2 mw Phase I circulation F1 2F Phase 11 circulation Fl Facade studies

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Phasing

concepts-As a new type of housing in the region that is to encourage interaction and shared

re-sources, especially appealing to students and laborers, each phase of the project would be anchored by a communal ame-nity.

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Final illustrations of vision for conversion and activation...

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LU

Phase I uses- distribution

warehouse and offces

+ (1) communal laundromat,

(2) cooking space, and (3) living

Lower Level

32

Accumulation of "goods"

E xist ing uses- distribut on

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Ph ase If uses- distribution

warehouse and offices

+ communal laundromat cooking space, and iving

spaces

+living spaces,

(4) courtyard spaces and (5) gyrn

Phase 1 11 uses7 . anc offices

+communal laundromat,

cooking space, and living

spaces

+living spaces,

courtyard spaces and gym

+(6) communal conference /

media center

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I I I I I I I

li--

_{--- |}

Ir ubL - _{- -}

--K0

I II I I I I I I I | | | I I I I I I I I I I I | | i [ I | | | I Ia,,,

Lower level plan

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Upper level plan

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Above- Perspective showing second level units along south wall and balcony connec-tion to second level courtyard.

Right- Perspective showing internal cen-tral court and adjoining living spaces, gym

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.

...

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Right- Sectional per-spective showing double height units

with double exposure as well as larger com-munal living unit adja-cent to internal adja-central court.

Left- Sectional per-spective showing internal courtyard lo-cations and external balcony/walkway.

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li C;ontext. ... .10

1W I 's e big boXeS... 14

C a arehouse to r xed living units. ... 22

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Since a central premise of the thesis involved exploiting existing standards, whether they be big box warehouses or structural modules, research into logistics pertaining to cargo handling methods were also explored. After all, it is quite amazing how despite the variety of goods that are exchanged globally, they all are tailored to fit into standard-sized con-tainers, which not coincidentally also do not exceed the width of highway lanes they must ultimately traverse be towed by trucks. Even humans, one can argue, are fitted into jumbo jets which initially was intended to carry cargo, and not people. Containers transport solids as well as liquids. They can be rigid or collapsible. They are handled with super-sized forklifts which can pick and stack containers.

8'- 2" 20'-012"

000

70>0

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Standard container variations7

open-top

collapsible

fridge

Ie

liquid/gas

Ihangers

44

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Air transporters8

45

sft 47 Aktx. AM

Soek416 s..anS5s

hfto obb mae

707 - mll24 IIm

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o * ) r of Storage. . ... . . ... 6 S sitry: Contenrrary stor -ge in an urban context...10

Ct, of ndtst Behind concrete alls and inside big boxes...14

ru conwers- of a typical commercial warehouse to mixed living units... 22

VI. Re-visiting storage site in its urban context...46

Macro Site Analysis-As shown in the drawing, the grain of City of Industry

is more coarse tln sur Relatively large city blocks and parcels characterize the area. Presently., big box retailers line an edge of Industry, providing the only interaction with sur-rounding neighborhoods. Two rail networks traverse thru Industry as well.

Macro Site

Proposal-The building conversion

should not be seen as an "one off." If imagined as the first of several transformations within the context of Industry, then porosity and exchange with neighboring populations becomes more convincing. New streets are introduced to improve circulation and a railyard takes on commuter transport functions.

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Notes/References

1. Ackerman, Kenneth B., R.W. Gardner, and Lee P. Thomas.

2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid.

5. City of Industry Website. 1 February 2005 <http://www.cityofindustry.org/index2.html>. 6. Hong, Ruey. Interviews with EMS Company personnel. City of Industry. 10 January 2005.

7. Evergreen Website. 1 February 2005 <http://www.evergreen-marine.com/tei1/jsp/TE11_Containers.jsp>.

8. Wikipedia Website. "Airbus Beluga" 11 May 2004. 1 March 2005. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirbusBeluga>.

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Bibliography

Ackerman, Kenneth B., R.W. Gardner, and Lee P. Thomas. Understanding Today's Distribution Center. Boston: Traffic Service Cor-poration. 1972.

Baboulet, Luc. "Case Study House, Californie, 1945: action!" L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui. Paris: 2004 July-August. (40-49) Betsky, Aaron. "Hybrid House," Architecture. 2003 October.

Bowker, Geoffrey and Susan Leigh Star. Sorting Things Out. Cambridge: MIT Press. 1999. Chorafas, Dimitris N. Warehousing. New York: American Elsevier Publishing Co., Inc. 1974. City of Industry Website. 1 February 2005 <http://www.cityofindustry.org/index2.html>.

Drury, Jolyon and Peter Falconer. Buildings for Industrial Storage and Distribution. Boston: Architectural Press. 2003. Evergreen Website. 1 February 2005 <http://www.evergreen-marine.com/tei1/jsp/TEI1_Containers.jsp>.

Gardner Jr., Ralph. "Curators from the Cradle, Marbles, Bugs, and Warhols," New York Times: 2004 May 13. Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Terrazzo Jungle," New Yorker: 2004 March 15.

Gruen Associates. General Plan -City of Industry. Industry: City of Industry Planning Commission. 1971. Hong, Ruey. Interviews with EMS Company personnel. City of Industry. 10 January 2005.

Riggs, Donald E. Strategic Planning for Library Managers. Phoenix:Oryx Press. 1984.

Rogers, Robert P. and Daniel J. Knetson. "The New Face of Self-Storage," Urban Land: 1996 November. (48-52,55-59) Rogers, Robert P. "Self-Storage Thriving at New Sites" Urban Land: 1997 November. (65-71)

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Collective spaces : a study in the conversion of storage to living spaces in City of Industry, California